A fortunate few chalk out their careers at an early age. I was not one of them. I applied for an airline job for all the wrong reasons, primarily to fund my future education. Yet working in the less stylish entrails of the aircraft as one of the ‘backroom boys’ — the endearing term used for cargo employees at the time — soon had me hooked.

My long, varied tenure with the airline industry and the opportunities to work with a wide cross-section of people across the country, including with the startup of India’s first cargo airline, were unique opportunities.

My time at Concordia helped to hone my capability and widen my horizon to be able to undertake my current job of leading that airline. The positive ambience, interactions with faculty and classmates, the repository of knowledge and time in beautiful Montreal were both productive and enriching.

There are probably some out there taking their first tentative steps to a career that can support the supply chains of many industries, and facilitate trade and commerce, as does my company. I’d like to pay forward what I’m sure was the result of someone else’s generosity and give wing to a few of those dreams.